State labor secretary leaving for Northeastern job, RMV head to take labor post

Friday

Jan 17, 2014 at 2:20 PMJan 17, 2014 at 6:28 PM

By John J. Monahan TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

BOSTON — State Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Joanne F. Goldstein is leaving state government to take a new position as associate vice president of Northeastern University, and state Registrar of Motor Vehicles Rachel Kaprielian is being named to take the labor post.

Ms. Goldstein, who lives in Worcester, has held the position since 2010. She previously held the position of chief of the Attorney General's Fair Labor Division.

The incoming labor secretary, Ms. Kaprielian, was a state representative from Watertown for 14 years before being tapped by the governor to head the RMV in 2008.

"It has been an honor and privilege to serve the governor and the commonwealth for the past four years," Ms. Goldstein said. "I am proud of our successes on behalf of working families. I want to thank my staff and team for their dedication, hard work and commitment to their constituencies.

Ms. Goldstein said she plans to spend some time off with her family before beginning her new job at Northeastern.

The new Registrar of Motor Vehicles will be Celia Blue of Worcester. A graduate of Worcester State College, she has a master's degree in business administration from Anna Maria College. She is a former deputy registrar at the RMV and most recently was assistant secretary for performance management and innovation for the state Department of Transportation.

In an announcement Friday morning, Gov. Deval L. Patrick expressed his appreciation for Ms. Goldstein's work overseeing job training programs and a number of special projects.

She chaired the governor's Joint Task Force on the Underground Economy and Employee Misclassification that led to the recovery of nearly $39 million owed to the state as well as the Municipal Unemployment Insurance Task Force, which recommended changes for the state's unemployment insurance system. She also oversaw redevelopment of the state's Workforce Training Fund, which distributes up to $21 million to employers to help them upgrade worker skills and expand. She recently headed up the launching of a new internet-based online unemployment insurance system.

Mr. Patrick said he is confident Ms. Kaprielian, who served in the Legislature for 14 years before becoming motor vehicles registrar, will continue what he said was "the difficult work of getting our residents back to work." Ms. Kaprielian is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and earned her law degree from Suffolk University and a Masters of Public Service from Harvard University.

Ms. Goldstein is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Hofstra University Law School and opened her own law practice in 1982. Before taking the post in the Attorney General's Office she spent 10 years as general counsel for the Utility Workers Union of America.

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